MINUTES
ARLINGTON SECECTBOARD
November 18, 2019
Members Present: Keith Squires, Cynthia Browning, Daniel Harvey, and Matthew Bykowski
Members Absent: Tim Williams
Also Present: Jack McDonough-GNAT-TV, Denise Matthew, Jeanne McDermott (Lions Club)
The meeting was called to order at 7:04pm by Chairman, Keith Squires
Public Comments: Lions Club representatives, Ms. Matthew and Ms. McDermott, were at the meeting to ask for permission to decorate outside of Town Hall, and the trees at the Health Center that are owned by the Town, for the holiday season. They have permission from the Health Center to use their electricity, and asked, and received, permission from the Board to use Town Hall’s electricity for decorations on Town Hall property.
Minutes of the Meeting of November 4, 2019: Mr. Harvey made a motion to accept as presented, the minutes of the meeting of November 4, 2019. Mr. Bykowski seconded. Motion passed.
New Business: Park and Rec Lights and Water: Mr. Squires spoke to the Board about having met with the school athletic director concerning the Softball Field lights. He is concerned the crossarms that hold the lights up seem to be at a point that they may need to be replaced. They are currently mounted on wooden bars, to there’s a life expectancy to them. Mr. Squires said if they do need to be changed before softball season, it would also make sense to replace the bulbs with LED bulbs, and to change the support bars to aluminum, and if the work is deemed necessary, the Town would need to receive bids for the job. It was also discussed that the Soccer Field lights should be looked at as well, as future updates. Mr. Squires also said that all water is shut off at the Park for winter, and chains are on the tennis and basketball courts. He also spoke to the Board about work on the trails having been done by the Park crew, and materials having been paid for by the Town, which he estimates will be about $3500. Before the next meeting he will have a more exact idea of what has been spent, and that the Park and Rec Committee will be sent a request for reimbursement from their grant money, as was done in October with other bills related to this project. So far, the Town has received $4017 in reimbursements from the grant money, but he also said he is not sure how much grant money remains, because a big portion was already spent by the Committee on studies for the project.
Old Business: Chittenden Bank Property: Mr. Squires informed the Board that the Chittenden Bank Property sale was approved by the bank on October 4, 2019, and the property has been turned over to the new owner, Mr. Sherman. It was discussed that some clean up had been done, but that there are still a lot of abandoned items on the property that need to be cleaned up.
Town Administrator Job Search Update: Mr. Bykowski said that initial video interviews with potential candidates have been done, and that there are three very good candidates to bring forward to the Board. Mr. Squires said he feels the Board is ready to move forward in the process. The next step is an Executive Session video interview with these three applicants, to see who will move forward to do an in-person interview, and talk more details. Mr. Bykowski said that the Committee is on track with the timeline that was set forth initially, and that he will email Mr. Baker, Committee Chair, about scheduling the video interviews, and coordinating with the Board’s schedule.
Technology Plan Update: Mr. Bykowski said he recently spoke with April from E-Enable about the technology update for Town Hall. He said it is still the plan to get NEMRC Cloud portion of the plan resolved first, then work on email/domain name, and move forward with the Microsoft portion of the plan, which will all be done within the next few weeks. He said the figures for labor are well within the amounts originally spoken about.
Reappraisal Update: Mr. Squires said he had spoken with the Treasurer and that there are funds available to pay for all upcoming reappraisal expenses, with the balance currently at $187,358.
7A Sidewalk Update: Mr. Squires said the engineers for the 7A Sidewalk project are still working through the permit process, and are approximately half way done. Some things submitted to the State have had to be reworked. There is some concern about improving sight distance north of the church. There will be a meeting with District 1 next month to see if brush and trees would need to be trimmed or if they are considering cutting into the bank, and to see who would be responsible for any work that was determined to be needed. Ms. Browning said she does not feel cutting into the bank is a safe option.
Trustees of Public Funds: Mr. Harvey brought to the Board’s attention that at the May 6, 2019 meeting, he and Mr. Bykowski were appointed signatories to the Trustees of Public Funds but were never sworn in by the Board. Ms. Browning made a motion to correct the Minutes of May 6, 2019, to authorize the appointment as temporary signors and temporary Trustees of Public Funds until the next annual election. Mr. Squires seconded. Motion passed. A form from the Town Clerk was signed, and will be returned to the Town Clerk, and both men will have to be sworn in with the Town Clerk. Ann Harriet Cole, the third person appointed, had already been sworn in.
Speed Signs: It was discussed that the speed signs seem to be working now, and Mr. Bykowski said he will bring in data from them for the next meeting.
Highways: Red Mountain Road Tree: Mr. Squires said the hazardous tree that was talked about at the last meeting, on Red Mountain Road, had been taken down. There are still two Ash trees that will need to come down near there, and proposals are still needed for that job. He said trees at the Pump House, damaged in the storm, have all been taken down and cleanup is complete.
Water Department: Payment Agreement Letters: Mr. Squires said that all Water Department payment agreements that were originally made are being paid, and new letters were sent out to the customers who were discussed as being overdue at the last Water Department meeting. Mr. Squires is meeting with one customer to complete a payment plan, and another person spoke to him on the phone and will be mailing in a completed agreement.
Koopman Request: Mr. Squires informed the Board that Mr. Koopman had contacted Burr Snow about his desire to pay his overdue account, but not the interest that has accumulated. The water has been shut off for some time. As of October 25, 2015, the balance was $1539.12, and since then $930.13 in interest has accumulated. He wishes to be forgiven the interest amount. He also sent a letter on April 29, 2019 with the same request, which was denied by the Board. It was discussed that if the Board is expecting other people to pay all the money they owe, they do not feel it is acceptable to waive the interest charges to Mr. Koopman. Mr. Bykowski said he would be comfortable with waiving a future reconnection fee if the bill was paid in full. Mr. Koopman will be sent a letter with the Board’s decision.
Mr. Harvey made a motion to approve Warrant WD#24, from the Operating Account in the amount of $6,421.25, of which $1685.00 was for Pump House tree removal and $1600.00 for a hydrant job. Mr. Bykowski seconded. Motion passed.
Warrants and Orders: Mr. Harvey made a motion to approve Warrant # R-8, Reappraisal Account, for $5200.00 to NEMRC for reappraisal contract work. Mr. Harvey made a motion to approve Water Department Payroll #11B, in the amount of $358.44, for Keith Squires for his Water Department duties. Ms. Browning seconded. Motion passed. Mr. Squires abstained. Mr. Harvey made a motion to approve Warrant # 26, from the Operating Account, in the amount of $21,925.54. Ms. Browning seconded. Motion passed.
Mr. Harvey made a motion to adjourn. Ms. Browning seconded. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 8:15PM
Executive Session: None
Respectfully submitted,
Janet Barry, Recording Secretary
Meeting videotaped
Cc: files, Town Clerk